The REWARDHeat project, which established a shunt valve on the street named Porsager, was carried out in close cooperation with the homeowners' organization. Meetings were held with the homeowners, and they had a direct phone number for an energy consultant during the process. Three good advice Find out what temperatures are really needed. There is a lot of focus on keeping the temperature on the coldest day; however, how often is it really that cold? If we cannot supply our end users with LTDH all year, then LTDH 350 days/year is far better than high temperatures all year.
6-bar grid without needing to upgrade to a 10-bar grid. It would have been costly for the utility and for the end users who were still directly supplied with DH without a heating unit. There are also downsides to working with shunt valves: They take up space. They need service. They cost money. The division of the greater old grid into smaller islands means a limited number of buildings will never have LTDH. However, the temperature will be lowered for all end users. The transition to LTDH is one of Albertslund Utility’s contributions to the green transition of Albertslund Municipality. By lowering the temperature, the DH supply was made more efficient with less heat loss and improved the possibility of exploiting local renewable energy resources. Overall, Albertslund's DH is prepared for efficient interaction with the electricity market. Albertslund Utility believes that if one day a geothermal plant is considered, the heat from the underground can be exploited as DH with no need to increase the temperature. This improves the business case significantly. Smaller quantities of surplus heat will also be easier to exploit. Since 2015, surplus heat from a data center in Albertslund has been exploited. Albertslund expects a greater part of the DH base load will be covered by surplus heat in the near future. Involvement of end users The DH Utility of Albertslund has, since the beginning in 1964, been operated by the municipality. Since 1980, the User Council, with representatives from all housing areas, has been asked on all new initiatives, before they were approved by the city council. Direct citizen involvement has played a major role in the development of Albertslund Utility.
Communication and open dialogue with the end users. Be reachable. Pick up the phone. Show up if invited. Be present.
With the service of renting out heating units, it is easier for the end users to obtain a well-functioning, high-quality heating unit. There is no money upfront; it’s a pure subscription. The service brings the utility closer to the end users.
4 things we have learned The buildings perform much better with LTDH than expected
Improved flexibility with shunt valves and the division of the grid into smaller islands
Minimal need for upgrading the grid when lowering the temperatures
DH end users are generally positive towards the transition into LTDH
For further information please contact: Niels Hansen, nej@albertslund.dk
”Finally, the service of renting out heating units has proven to be a major success. Most end users come to us when their heating unit needs replacement. More and more, we deliver comfort, rather than ‘just’ DH, to our customers”, Catarina Nørgaard Marcus-Møller says.
Catarina Nørgaard Marcus-Møller, head of the District Heating utility of Albertslund
17 www.dbdh.dk
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